Railway-joint.



G. A. BAUDER.

RAILWAY JOINT.

APPLICATION FILBD.0OT. e, 1909.

959,289., I Patented May 24, 19-10.

CLARENCE A. BAUDER, or HEREIN, ILLIIIoIs.

RAILWAY-JOINT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 24, 1910.

Application filed October 6, 1909. Serial No. 521,185.

To all whom it may concern:

' Be it known that I, CLARENCE A. BAUDER, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Herrin, in the county of Williamson and State ofIllinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Railway-Joints,of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in railwayjoints and consists in the novel combination and arrangement of partswhich will be hereinafter more particularly described and pointed outinthe claims.

- Referring to the drawings forming a part of the specification: Figure1 is a perspective view of my invention showing the meeting ends of therails properly united to form a continuous track. Fig. 2 is aperspective view of one end of one of the rails to be connected. Fig. 3is a perspective view of the opposite end of the rail or that end whichis adapted to cooperate or be connected with the end of the railpreviously referred to. Fig. i is a vertical cross section taken on theline l-4 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 5 is a similar perspective cross ortransverse section taken on the line 55 of Fig. 1.

The object of my invention is to promote to a maximum degree therigidity at the meeting points or connecting ends of the rails, wherebya continuous and practically uninterrupted rail is provided and is soconstructed as to compensate itself to the rough usage to which the sameis necessarily subjected, in which instance bolts and nuts or othersuitable fastening device previously employed or used for connecting themeeting ends of the rails may be dispensed with, all of which willappear from the detailed description to follow.

One of the free or connecting ends of the rail 1 is provided with alongitudinal slot or groove 2 which extends from its end a suitabledistance along its length, forming a fork 3, the said slot or groovehaving inner inclined smooth walls 4 which are adapted to freely butsnugly receive the longitudinal tongue or projection 5 formed bysuitably reducing the metal forming the opposite end of the rail 6 to beunited, said tongue or extension being preferably of suitabledimensions. in shape or contour to be received by the groove 2 formed inthe opposite end of the rail to be connected. It will be noted in thisconnection that the upper surface of the tongue 5, forming one end ofthe rail will present a smooth and finished surface when properlylocated within the groove 2 of its connecting rail, whereby a continuousand uninterrupted tread portion is formed about or along the connectingends of the rails.

The tongue 5 referred to is provided with an end 6 which is inclinedtoward the base portion of the rail, and is adapted to come in contactwith correspondingly shaped wall 7 formed at the base or uncture of thelongitudinal slot or groove 2, the length of said tongue correspondingin length to the length of said slot formed in the opposite or meetingend of the rail. The rail thus constructed isprovided with oppositelylocated abutting and inclined surfaces 8 which are provided by formingthe tongue, against which abutting surfaces, the ends 9, forming thefree ends of the adjacent end of the rail to be connected is adapted tobe brought in contact, said ends 9 being likewise inclined or shaped tocorrespond with the abutting surfaces 8 .formed in the rail 6 on eitherside 3 of the said tongue as clearly shown in Fig.

3 of the drawings.

In forming the tongue previously referred to it .will be noted that thesame is constructed in such a manner as to provide 35 along its entirelength two oppositely located inclined surfaces or faces 10, which areadapted to come in contact with the similarly constructed walls 4 of theforked or meeting end of the opposite rail or that to be connected.

Extending downwardly and forming an integral part of the rail and belowthe tongue 5 of the same, is a wing 11, the lower edge of which ispreferably on a line with the lower edge or base of the rail and isreduced in width in respect to said tongue 5, whereby two oppositelylocated inclined surfaces 12 are formed, which are adapted to be freelybut snugly received by correspondingly shaped grooves 13 formed in theopposite or connecting end of the rail, said wing being likewisereceived by a correspondingly shaped space formed in the opposite end ofthe connecting rail.

In order to properly construct my invention I preferably enlarge therails adjacent to their connecting ends as shown at 14, the enlargementthus formed upon the rail 6 having longitudinally arranged V-shaped H0grooves 15, which extend from the abutting oppositely located surfaces 8of the end of the enlarged portion of the rail and along the tongue 5forming the end of the rail, but not the full length thereof, which V-shaped grooves are located at a suitable dis- 5 tance from the upperedge of the tongue and adapted to freely but snugly receive thecorrespondingly shaped lower edges 16 forming the lower longitudinaledges or surfaces of the forked end of the opposite rail or that to beconnected.

In forming the ends of the rails to be united the abutting or contactingsurfaces 17 forming the ends of the enlarged portions 14 are beveled orinclined similar to the in 15 clined ends of the fork formed on theopporespect to one another in a manner clearly shown in Fig. 1 of thedrawing.

The rail joint herein described is susceptible of many advantages and itis obvious that it is not necessary to use bolts or other fasteningdevice for removably securing the opposite ends of the rails, andfurther a smooth, uninterrupted and continuous surface is formedparticularly about the ball or bearing portion of the rail, the union orjoint thus constructed, properly allowing for the usual contraction andexpansion of the rails without in any way affecting the generalalinement or the contour of the construction thus formed.

In carrying out my invention I do not limit myself to the preciseconstruction herein shown and described and it is obvious that the samemay be changed or modified in many respects without departing from thenature of my invention.

Having fully described my invention what I claim is:

A railway joint comprising a rail having a tongue formed on the free endthereof and projecting therefrom, said tongue having oppositely locatedinclined walls, an enlarged portion forming a part of said rail andlocated below the tread portion of the rail and having grooves formed inthe upper surface of said enlarged portion adjacent to the oppositelyinclined walls of said tongue, a second rail, the unitin end of which isforked providing a longitudinal groove or slot extending from the freeend of said rail to a suitable distance along its length and adapted tosnugly receive the tongue formed on the first named rail, the ends ofthe several parts being properly inclined in respect to one another,forming abutting surfaces when the uniting ends of the rails are broughttogether as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CLARENCE A. BAUDER.

Witnesses O. H. MoNnILL, C. S. DUNCAN.

